Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,  

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God ..."  - Heb. 13:7

 

 

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 by Fr. Steven Kostoff

It is my observation that today many Orthodox Christians are reading a good deal of contemporary Orthodox literature - books on spirituality, liturgy, theology and history. These are books that are read immediately upon publication and which are very well promoted - if not well "marketed." A steady Orthodox reading discipline/program is essential in today's world perhaps more than ever. We are so ideologically bombarded from so many disparate quarters, that we need to remember who we are and what we believe! 

I am writing, though, with a particular concern in mind: Perhaps we are only - or mostly only - reading the most contemporary literature. Most of the Orthodox literature that I am now referring to can be accessed on Ancient Faith Radio. There is a circle of well-read authors there who are fairly prolific and have a wide Orthodox reading audience. I am not writing anything against those authors or their books.

However, because I am from an older generation, and have been an Orthodox priest for over forty years now, I want to make a heartfelt plea for the great writers who nurtured me, who nurtured an entire earlier generation or two, and who wrote the classics of twentieth century Orthodox literature. This is a great literature that placed Orthodoxy on the "map" both in America and in Europe and beyond - into Russia and other parts of the world. 

I strongly believe that we need to read these classics of the twentieth century, because these are the very books that served as the foundation for others to build on. These were books that allowed Orthodoxy to emerge from its sheltered ethnic communities; books which revived an abiding and lasting focus on the Fathers of the Church; books which completely restored the apostolic vision of the Liturgy and the Eucharist; and books that penetrated deeply into our genuine spiritual Tradition with the insights and practices that lead us to lives of holiness. 

I repeat: I am not claiming that our newer contemporary literature cannot do that, but our newer authors are standing on the shoulders of the "giants" who prepared the vision that may sustain them. For the sake of balance and wholeness, we must not neglect these classics. It would be a great loss if these books - and their authors - were more-or-less forgotten as the years pass. A further point is that the authors I am about to enumerate were steeped in a centuries-old Orthodox culture. They did not need to be overly defensive defensive, polemical or apologetic. 

This is not a "nostalgia fest" on my part. Of that, I can assure you. I think that as clergy and laity, we need a broad a range of theological grounding as much possible, and again, the classics go a long way in assuring that. (I of course, assume that everyone is reading the Scriptures and Fathers with regularity).

There were four great writers from the Orthodox Tradition that wrote brilliant and compelling books for many decades throughout the twentieth century. I read their works over and over - and over. They have had a lasting effect on me, and I like to think that in my own very modest way, I have applied their vision in my own pastoral ministry, from liturgy to theology. With the exception of Lossky, the other three - especially Frs. Schmemann and Meyendorff - were the key "architects" in establishing the Orthodox Church in America. I had the great privilege of actually knowing, studying under and worshiping with, Frs. Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff while a student at St. Vladimir's Seminary (1978-1981), as well as with Fr. Thomas Hopko. An unforgettable experience.

So, here are a few of the authors and books that I would like to highlight and bring to your attention:

+ George Florovsky (1893 - 1979)

His collected works have been published in 13 volumes, I believe, but I would single out:

Vol 1 - Bible, Church, Tradition - An Orthodox Perspective - A collection of essays that provide insight after insight into the meaning and relationship between Scripture and Tradition.

Vol. IV - Creation and Redemption - Another set of brilliant essays that incorporate the works of the Church Fathers in understanding the divine oikonomia from the Incarnation to the Resurrection.

There is a new volume of many never-before translated works, though it is quite expensive. Still, a worthwhile investment. Everything is simply brilliant that is contained in this volume, which also has a great Introduction:

The Patristic Witness of George Florovsky - The Essential Theological Writings 

+ Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958)

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church - This book is the Orthodox classic of the twentieth century, written in 1945. It takes some real concentration, but endlessly fascinating and insightful.

The Image and Likeness of God - Essays that cover the whole range of theological, anthropological and Mariological themes.

Orthodox Dogmatics - A comprehensive study of dogmatic subjects by a brilliant theologian who leans heavily on the Church Fathers. 

 

+ Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983)

For the Life of the World - An absolute "must read" classic.

Great Lent - Considered the best single volume on the subject in the English language by Met. Kallistos Ware.

The Eucharist - Fr. Schmemann's final study of his life-long engagement with the meaning and practice of the Eucharist.

Church, World, Mission - A series of challenging essays about the Orthodox Church facing the challenges of the contemporary world. 

 

John Meyendorff (1926-1993)

Byzantine Theology - Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes - A "classic" study of the Byzantine roots of our theological Tradition.

The Byzantine Legacy of the Orthodox Church - A great collection of essays that distinguish between the relative and eternal components of the Byzantine legacy.

Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions - A more detailed look at Church History from the 5th - 8th c. A brilliant work of historical synthesis.

 

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (1934-2022)  

We cannot fail to mention him! He comes from a background different than the "big four," but he was a decisive figure in bringing Orthodox literature to the non-Orthodox Christian world.

The Orthodox Church - Still the best one-volume introduction to the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Way - a great supplement to The Orthodox Church focusing on what we call Orthodox spirituality. A real favorite!

Sacraments of Healing -  Just published and a further supplement to the two other books by Met. Kallistos. To be read together in this year's upcoming Fall Adult Education Class.

The Inner Kingdom - A collection of endlessly fascinating essays by Met. Kallistos, covering his conversion to Orthodoxy to profound insights into the last judgement - and beyond.

 

Other contemporary authors that are excellent and who have been writing for some time now, are: John Behr (Becoming Human), Andrew Louth (Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology), Metropolitan Ilarion (The Orthodox Faith), Peter Bouteneff (How To Be a Sinner), Nona Verna Harrison (The Many-Splendored Image of God). Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (God and Man; Beginning to Pray);  Metropolitan John Zizioulas (Being and Communion), and, of course, Fr. Thomas Hopko (The Orthodox Faith in four volumes), are writers who have rather recently "fallen asleep in the Lord." 

I fully realize that I could be "preaching to the choir," and I apologize if it sounds as if I am implying that you have not read any/some/many of the books above. You may know this literature very well, indeed! And, I do not want to sound patronizing. But, I have been around and reading since the early 1970's(!), so I thought to share some of my own experience with Orthodox literature with those of you who have not been Orthodox for as long. Please accept my advice in that spirit. If anyone would like to pursue this further, a group of us could have a zoom session on this or a related theme.

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

We Belong to the Crucified One...

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

The Feast of the Elevation of the Cross (September 14) offers us one more of many opportunities to contemplate the meaning and power of the Cross. In a Christian worldview, the Cross is inscribed on our minds and hearts, but also over the entire cosmos, as this "sign of the Son of Man" emerges from the depths of eternity, for the Cross reveals the pre-eternal plan of God to bring salvation to a fallen world and a groaning creation. (cf. ROM. 8:19-23) If, by the grace of God, we accept the truth of the Cross unto our salvation, we must never lose sight of the fact that the Cross has always been a "stumbling block" and "foolishness," not only to the Jews and Gentiles spoken of by the Apostle Paul, but to countless others who cannot detect the presence and power of God in and through what has always been a symbol of suffering and death. A crucified (Jewish) Messiah is the Savior of the world. His resurrection vindicated that claim. No wonder the apostles were accused of turning everything upside down!

Without in any fashion trying to strip the Cross of its inherent "foolishness," St. Athanasius the Great also strives to find the "reason(ableness)" behind Christ's crucifixion. This leads to one of many wonderful passages in his now classical work On the Incarnation:

But if any honest Christian wants to know why He suffered death on the Cross and not in some other way, we answer thus: in no other way was it expedient for us, indeed the Lord offered for our sakes the one death that was supremely good. He had come to bear the curse that lay on us; and how could He "become a curse" otherwise than by accepting the accursed death? And that death is the cross, for it is written: " Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." (GAL. 3:13; DEUT. 21:23)

Again the death of the Lord is the ransom for all, and by it " the middle wall of partition" is broken down and the call of the Gentiles comes about. (EPH. 2:14) ...

Again, we see the fitness of His death and of those outstretched arms: it was that He might draw His ancient people with the one arm and the Gentiles with the other, and to join both peoples together in Himself. Even so, He foretold the manner of His redeeming death: " I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to Myself." (JN. 12:32)

Again, the air is the sphere of the devil, the enemy of our race, who, having fallen from heaven endeavors with the other evil spirits ... to keep souls from the truth and to hinder the progress of those who are trying to follow it ... But the Lord came to overthrow the devil and to purify the air and to make a way for us to heaven ... This had to be done through death, but by what other kind of death could it be done, except by a death in the air, that is, on the cross? ...

Fitting indeed then, and wholly consonant was the death on the cross for us; and we can see how reasonable it was, and why it had to be accomplished in no other way. Even on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight, rather, He made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker. (On the Incarnation, 54-55)

Although the cross will always remain a sign of struggle and hardship, if not of suffering and death, the Lord, by His death on the Cross, has simultaneously transformed the Cross into a sign of victory and glorification:

Rejoice, O life-bearing Cross,
The invincible trophy of godliness,
The door of Paradise,
The protection of the faithful,
by which corruption is utterly destroyed
and the power of death swallowed up
and we are exalted to heaven from earth.
The invincible weapon,
The adversary of demons,
The glory of martyrs,
The true beauty of saints,
The haven of salvation
which grants mercy to the world. (Great Vespers of the Feast)

How does the Church express the great paradox of the Cross, embracing both aspects of suffering and glory; and of death and victory? By proclaiming that this Feast Day is also a "strict fast day." It is the only great Feast Day that is so designated. We greet the decorated Cross with festal joy and venerate it with the full knowledge that we are all lost without the Cross. And yet we practice the self-discipline of fasting as a concrete sign of our solidarity with our Lord Who ascended the Cross so that He may nail the handwriting of sin against it.

In the present Feast Day and Afterfeast of the Elevation of the Cross - through and including next Sunday - let us call to mind that we belong to the Crucified One. That means that we must stand with any others who are suffering innocently, unjustly, or at the hands of the powerful of this world. Otherwise, we may empty the power of the Cross of its redemptive value.

Conviction and Commitment in the Church New Year

Icon of 'The Indiction', the Church New Year

 

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (MATT. 16:16) Today is the beginning of the Church New Year (September 1) and we will soon celebrate the first major Feast Day of the liturgical cycle – the Nativity of the Theotokos - on September 8. And yesterday evening (August 31) we celebrated the remarkable Akathist Hymn "Glory to God For All Things." A new year, of course, means a “new beginning” or the renewal of our lives in Christ; and the opportunity to examine both our deepest convictions and commitments. In fact, I believe that there is a profound connection between our convictions and our commitments. What we are convinced of, we will commit to.  As baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians who confess our sins and receive the Eucharist, I will assume that our deepest and dearest conviction is equal to that of the Apostle Peter: that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God. This is what distinguishes us as a parish community – a shared conviction that unites us as the local Body of Christ. Here conviction is synonymous with the content of our faith. This is what we believe, a conviction about Christ expanded in the Nicene Creed that we confess at every Liturgy we attend, and beginning with the words, “I believe.” As our faith hopefully deepens through the years, we become further convinced that the convictions we hold are true. Since these convictions are about God, then we are touching upon “ultimate reality.” What this demands is seriousness and sobriety of both our minds and hearts:  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” (HEB. 10:31) Personally, I find it impossible to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and not to have that conviction as the most important and significant aspect of one’s very existence. I believe that this conviction transcends all others, and that it is the guiding force of our commitments. Since, ultimately, this conviction chooses life over death, it is thus a matter of life and death. This conviction transcends the difference between male or female; rich or poor; even Conservative or Liberal! The words of Christ make this clear. How else can we interpret this “hard saying” of the Lord:    “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”(MATT. 10:37)   Otherwise, we may just be fooling ourselves about our deepest convictions. With the best of intentions, such a delusion can result in a certain hypocrisy. However, if we look at this more positively, we can understand that this is where conviction leads to commitment, or perhaps a renewal of our commitment if it has weakened. Even if we continue to struggle with the battle between faith and doubt when assessing our conviction about Christ; or if we share the anguished cry of the anonymous father in the Gospel:  “I believe, help my unbelief!” (MK. 9:24); even then we realize that our convictions can remain abstract or sterile without a genuine commitment to embody them in our daily lives. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, then we must witness to this truth with all of our strength. In other words, we commit to living as Christians tangibly, concretely, and as unhypocritically as possible. Broadly understood, the words of Christ to the rich young man who was seeking the way to “eternal life” can serve as a sure guide to embodying our convictions about the Lord in a conscious commitment to following Him: “If you would enter life, keep the commandments … You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (MATT. 16:17-19)   Even further, we can continually study and do our best to embody the moral and ethical teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the beatitudes. Now there is an ennobling and worthy lifelong project that will probably never reach completion! Be that as it may, I would like to focus more in the remainder of this meditation on our ecclesial lives which we live out on the parish level and which we take home with us during the week.  If the Church new year is a wonderful opportunity to (re)commit ourselves to our lives in Christ, then we can always begin with the ABCs of the spiritual life:  prayer, almsgiving and fasting (MATT. 6:1-18). At home, on a daily basis we must commit to praying with regularity. We need to have our eyes and then our hearts open to those who need our assistance. And we need to practice the discipline of fasting according to the Church calendar as part of our ascetical efforts of freeing ourselves from over-dependence/obsession with food and drink. Reading the Scriptures with regularity as part of our daily lives can certainly be added to this. This is all basic, but if we have forgotten it, then it can be restored through repentance and effort. As a parish community, our most foundational commitment is to the Lord’s Day Liturgy. The Eucharist on the Lord’s Day is the “alpha and omega” of our parish existence. All parish life flows outward from the Eucharistic Liturgy and returns there for both sustenance and greater vision.  The sharing of our time, talent and treasure will, to a great extent, be determined by our joyful experience of God in and through the Liturgy. A “reluctant giver” will view the Liturgy as a religious obligation that needs to be fulfilled; but a “cheerful giver” is one who approaches the Liturgy as an inexhaustible gift from the Lord. For it is there, at the Liturgy, that we are truly a koinonia – a communion – of brothers and sisters in Christ; for we commune together of the Body and Blood of Christ, uniting ourselves with Christ and with one another. When we speak of commitment in communal terms, it is our continuing presence at the Liturgy – and as Eucharistic beings – that should define us. I believe that this is one of the many strengths of our parish. A very high percentage of our “parish census” is at the Lord’s Day Liturgy on any given Sunday. (Arriving on time may just be another matter that needs to be worked on!). I also encourage you to expand your liturgical commitment, and "make room" to be present for our other services throughout the year - from Feast Days to Vespers. Yet, as our society becomes ever more “secular,” there are increasing temptations to view Sunday as any other day with various attractions and things to do. Sunday has lost its privileged status in our contemporary world. “Rest” is a rather quaint concept today, suitable for the unengaged, the elderly, or for those who cannot quite keep up with the fast-paced rhythms of today’ world. Thus, a wide range of events have now spilled over into Sunday, posing an ever-widening challenge for our loyalties.  Among the clergy, at least, a major concern and topic of open discussion is the proliferation of children’s sporting events that are regularly scheduled now for Sunday morning. Loyalty to the team is promoted in almost “evangelical” terms. This is one instance of the many pressures put upon the contemporary Christian family, and which demand careful thinking and hard decisions. Yet, all decisions must return to the twin realities of conviction and commitment. The Church New Year is a blessing that allows us the time for renewal, for reflection on our priorities, and for repentance if we have somehow lost sight of our “first love” – the conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; and if our commitment to Christ has somehow melted away into directions that do not necessarily lead to life. Yet, “now is the acceptable time!

From within the Church

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

"Contemporary America simply isn't set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. Such a system leaves precious little time or energy for forms of community that don't contribute to one professional life or, as one ages, the professional prospects of one's children. Workism reigns in America, and because of it, community in America, religious community included, is a math problem that doesn't add up."

— Jake Meador

The author of the above is an Evangelical Christian writer, but he may be pointing out a challenge that threatens the Orthodox also, as we, as Orthodox, are fully in the mainstream of contemporary American culture. The Church is not only that elusive community mentioned above, but a unique communion in and through Jesus Christ. It is grace-filled and thus unites believers: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, based on II For. 13:14) 

This is what we have to offer to a lonely and thirsty person adrift far from community and perhaps pursuing the "American dream" with the result that it is not nearly as satisfying as promised - even for those considered "successful." What, after all, is "success" without God? From within the Church we offer the love of God and hopefully love from the Body of believers that can convince others that the Church is the "place" that fulfills all meaningful desires.

 

Rejoicing in the "Deathless Death"

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,

"Words cannot attain to what is beyond speech, just as eyes cannot stare at the sun. But though it is impossible for us to tell of things surpassing words, we can, by the love of those we extol, sing their praises, and we may use words to pay our debt, and express our longing for the Mother of God in hymns as best we can, without in any way touching the intangible." ~ St. Gregory Palamas, Homily On the Dormition.

As I like to occasionally point out, the Twelve Major Feast Days of the Church year do not simply "come and go" in a twenty-four hour period. In fact, if you glance at a church calendar, you may come across the following notations when encountering a major Feast: "forefeast," "afterfeast," and "leavetaking (of the Feast)." This is well-illustrated by the Feast we are now continuing to celebrate - The Dormition of the Theotokos. In the Festal Menaion that most of our parishes use (the one translated by Mother Maria and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware), we read the following notation concerning this particular Feast:

The Dormition of the Theotokos (15 August).
One day of forefeast (14 August).
Eight days of afterfeast (16-23 August).

This is the "longest" of the Feasts dedicated to the Mother of God in terms of duration and, as the dates fall this year, the "Leavetaking" will occur next Wednesday, August 23. And that means that we will continue to celebrate this Feast at this coming Sunday's Liturgy. Therefore, we will again have the joy of expressing "our longing for the Mother of God in hymns as best we can," as St. Gregory Palamas has so eloquently stated. This has been the case throughout this past week, as the Church allows us to further contemplate and experience the mystery of the falling asleep of the Theotokos and its bearing on our lives. There is nothing more "theo-logical" than connecting the life and death of the Mother of God with that of her Son and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord did not pass through His mother, but was truly born of her, "ineffably" and "without seed" as we sing and chant when praising this great mystery of the Incarnation. If the Mother of God held her Son in her arms when He was born; then when she is "born" into the new life of the Kingdom of God, her Son will bear her soul in His arms:

She who is higher than the heavens and more glorious than the cherubim, she who is held in greater honor than all creation, she who by reason of her surpassing purity became the receiver of the everlasting Essence, today commends her most pure soul into the hands of her Son. With her all things are filled with joy and she bestows great mercy upon us. 

Sing, O ye people, sing ye the praises of the Mother of our God:for today she delivers her soul, full of light, into the immaculate hands of Him who was made incarnate of her without seed... (Lity at Great Vespers)

But since the Mother of God is not the "great exception" but rather the "great example," she embodies our greatest longing and hope for human beings created "in the image and likeness of God:" To truly "fall asleep" in the Lord surrounded by our loved ones, as she was surrounded by the apostles and friends, according to Tradition; to offer our soul/life to the Risen and ever-present Lord as a final eucharistic gift in the humble assurance that He will receive it and "carry" it into His everlasting Kingdom; and that we are buried to the accompaniment of "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" that express our belief that death has been overcome in the death and resurrection of Christ. Although not an "official dogma" of the Church, the belief exists that the Mother of God was bodily "translated" to heaven, since the Lord did not allow the most pure temple of the Word to experience corruption:

The Lord and God of all gave thee as thy portion the things that are abovenature. For just as He kept thee virgin in thy childbirth so did He preserve thy body incorrupt in the tomb; and He glorified thee by a divine Translation, showing thee honour as a Son to His Mother. (Matins, First Canon, Canticle Six)

As Archbishop Kallistos says in his explanation of the theological meaning of this Feast:

... Orthodox Tradition is clear and unwavering in regard to the central point: the Holy Virgin underwent, as did her Son, a physical death, but her body - like His - was afterwards raised from the dead and she was taken up into heaven, in her body as well as in her soul. She has passed beyond death and judgment, and lives wholly in the Age to Come. The Resurrection of the Body, which all Christians await, has in her case been anticipated and is already an accomplished fact. That does not mean, however, that she is dissociated from the rest of humanity and placed in a wholly different category: for we all hope to share one day in that same glory of the Resurrection of the Body which she enjoys even now. (Festal Menaion, p. 64)

However, this affirmation that belongs to the inner Tradition of the Church has, as stated above, never been accorded dogmatic status by the Church. And no doubt is left open to speculation concerning the death of the Theotokos. She died according to the necessity of death that plagues our fallen human nature as that is "inherited" from of old. Her death, therefore, cannot be termed "voluntary" as was the death of her Son. Her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is her Savior, as He is ours. As Fr. Thomas Hopko has written, summing up her exemplary role for all Christians:

The feast of the Dormition is the sign, the guarantee, and the celebration that Mary's fate is the destiny of all those of "low estate" whose souls magnify the Lord, whose spirits rejoice in God the Saviour, whose lives are totally dedicated to hearing and keeping the Word of God which is given to men in Mary's child, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. (The Orthodox Faith, Vol. ii, Worship, p. 145)

The Feasts of the Church are a feast of theological reflection and existential participation, as they actualize the events of our salvation and deification in the "today" of the Church's ongoing life in the world. We can further rejoice in the "deathless death" of the Theotokos as we come to church this weekend to worship the living God Who makes all things possible.